The Opening Faceoff: The nationally 13th-ranked Ferris State University men's ice hockey team will be on the road this weekend as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the nationally fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in a two-game Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) series. Both tilts have a 7:05 p.m. (EDT) start time and will be played at the Value City Arena.

2011-12 Bulldog Hockey Ticket Information: Tickets for all 2011-12 Bulldog home regular-season hockey games can be purchased by contacting the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. The FSU Athletics Ticket Office's normal hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) weekdays. The ticket office will also offer extended hours until 7 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday's throughout the season and be open on hockey home game Saturday's at 12 p.m. (ET).

Single-game tickets may also be purchased by contacting Star Tickets at 1-800-585-3737 or online at Star Tickets website: www.startickets.com. Tickets are also available at all Meijer store locations in West Michigan and at the Student Services Office in the FSU Rankin Student Center.

Media Coverage: A live video and audio webcast will be available for all 2011-12 FSU men's ice hockey home games through Stretch Internet for a charge of $7.95 on FSU's Athletics Website at www. FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Live internet statistics will also be available for all Bulldog home contests with a live audio stream for all home and away games.

The Records:Ferris State is presently 14-8-2 overall and 8-6-2-(0) in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) this season. Ferris State skated to a 4-4 overtime tie with Alaska last Friday (Jan. 13), but was unable to convert in the three shootout attempts. On Saturday (Jan. 14), after three tie scores and three lead changes, the Bulldogs defeated Alaska 4-3. The weekend improves the Bulldogs unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1) since the start of the month. The Bulldogs have not had a streak that long since November after a series sweep of Bowling Green and a win and tie in a series against Lake Superior State.

Ohio State currently holds a 14-6-3 overall record and a 10-5-3 record in the CCHA. The Buckeyes are currently first in the conference with 34 points. Ohio State dropped a pair of games to Michigan this past weekend (Jan. 13-15). In Friday's contest, the Buckeyes were shutout 4-0 by the Wolverines. On Sunday, the two teams faced off outdoors at the Frozen Diamond Faceoff with a score of 4-1 in Cleveland. The Buckeyes are going into the weekend with a four-game winless streak. Two weekends ago, the Ohio State squad tied two games and lost in both shootouts to last place Bowling Green.

The Coaches:Ferris State - Bob Daniels (Michigan State, 1982), 20th season, 322-357-76 (.476) – (23-28-3 vs. Ohio State – 11-21-1 away, 12-7-2 home and 0-1-0 neutral). Daniels has the distinction of being the all-time winningest coach in Ferris State history. He was honored as the 2002-03 CCHA Coach of the Year and the Inside College Hockey (INCH) Coach of the Year, but the crowing highlight of his coaching career was being chosen as the recipient of the 2003 Spencer Penrose Award as the ACHA's Division I National Hockey Coach of the Year. He was among three finalists for both the 2007-08 and 2009-10 CCHA Coach of the Year Awards.

Ohio State - Mark Osiecki (Wisconsin, 1994), 2nd season, 29-24-7 (.467) - (vs. Ferris State). Mark Osiecki, a winner on every level, was named head coach of the Ohio State men's hockey program April 24, 2010, and is entering his second year at the helm of the Buckeyes. Osiecki was an assistant at Wisconsin the six years prior to coming to Ohio State and spent seven seasons as the head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL). Osiecki has been a part of NCAA (both as a player and coach), junior hockey, international and professional championship teams.

The Opponent:

Ohio State's goaltender, Cal Heeter, is ranked 15th among the nation's top performers with a 12-4-3 record and 2.17 goals against average. His save percentage, .928, is ranked seventh among goalies. The Buckeyes' team defense is ranked eighth, allowing 2.22 goals per game. Their defense is led by junior Devon Krogh, who has a 2-9-11 scoring line and senior captain Sean Duddy, who has notched 11 assists this season. Sophomore forward Chris Crane leads the team with 22 points from 13 goals and nine assists. Senior forward Danny Dries has tallied 11 goals and assisted on seven goals for an 18-point total. The Buckeyes will look to stop a four-game winless skid, which started after a two-game series against Bowling Green in which the Buckeyes fell in two consecutive overtime shootout battles. Most recently, Ohio State was unable to score in a 4-0 shutout against Michigan, before falling 4-1 to the Wolverines at the Frozen Diamond Faceoff.

The All-Time Series: Ohio State holds a 58-45-14 all-time series advantage. The Bulldogs are 30-23-4 when having home ice and 14-32-10 when in Columbus. FSU is 0-1-0 when facing off on neutral ice. Last season, the Bulldogs went 2-1-1 with the Buckeyes. A season ago, the two teams had two series. In the Oct. 22-23 series, played in Big Rapids, the Bulldogs won 2-1 before faltering to a 5-3 loss the following night. The two squads met again Feb. 24-25 in Columbus. The Bulldogs battled to a 2-2 overtime tie and won the shootout for the extra point. The following evening, Ferris State defeated Ohio State 5-3.

National Rankings: The Bulldogs are currently ranked 13th in the USCHO.com Division I Men's poll with 396 points and they were ranked 13th last week as well. In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men' College Hockey Poll, FSU is ranked at 14th with 84 points, which is a two spot drop from last week's 12th spot ranking. In the INCH.com poll, the Bulldogs came in at 17, a two-spot rise from last week's ranking.

Top Twenty Goalies: Freshman goaltender CJ Motte (St. Claire) is currently ranked sixth among NCAA Division I Goaltending Leaders and has compiled a 4-4-1 record. He has allowed only 18 goals, with a 1.98 goals against average, in eight games played. Motte has tallied two shutouts and has made 222 saves for a .925 save percentage. Senior goaltender Taylor Nelson (Regina, Saskatchewan) is ranked 17th in goaltending leaders, having a 10-4-1 record, with two shutouts. He has 33 goals against and has a 2.19 goals against average and boasts a .923 save percentage.

The Defense: Ferris State is currently seventh in NCAA Division I Team Defense, averaging 2.21 goals per game. Senior defenseman Chad Billins (Marysville) leads the defense with 14 points, coming from two goals and 12 assists. Sophomore Scott Czarnowczan has one goal and nine assists from the blue line.

Last Weekend: Ferris State skated to a 4-4 overtime tie with Alaska on Friday, but was unable to convert in the three shootout attempts. On Saturday, after three tie scores and three lead changes, the Bulldogs defeated Alaska 4-3.

Three Bulldogs recorded multi-point games this past weekend. In Ferris State's 4-4 overtime tie, Jordie Johnston had a goal and an assist. For Saturday's 4-3 victory over Alaska, junior Matthew Kirzinger tallied two assists and a goal, as sophomore Garrett Thompson had one goal and one assist.

The weekend improves the Bulldogs unbeaten streak to four (3-0-1) since the start of the month. The Bulldogs have not had a streak that long since November after a series sweep of Bowling Green and a win and tie in a series against Lake Superior State.

Goals and Points: FSU's Matthew Kirzinger has tallied at least a point in the past four contests, which includes two goals and six assists.

Freshman forward Justin Buzzeo recorded his first goal as a Bulldog in Friday's contest.

Senior Jordie Johnston currently leads the squad in points with 13 goals and eight assists for a 21-point total. His 21 point output thus far in the season matches his career points (10-11-21) that he had accumulated before entering the 2011-12 season.

Notable Performer: Junior forward Matthew Kirzinger (Leroy, Saskatchewan) notched a goal and two assists in a 4-3 win over Alaska on Saturday and was deemed a notable performer by the conference.

No Place Like Home: The Bulldogs have compiled a 113-73-26 record (.581) at home since the 2000-01 campaign. FSU has reached double-figure home win totals in a season on four occasions, which includes 15 victories in the 2002-03 (15-4-1) and 2009-10 (15-3-2) campaigns. Thus far this season, the Bulldogs have compiled a 9-1-2 record when playing at the Ewigleben Ice Arena.

Co-Captains: Senior defensemen Chad Billins (Marysville) and Tommy Hill (Portage) are serving as the Bulldogs' team co-captains in the 2011-12 campaign. They are the 40th and 41st individuals in the program's history to sport the captain's 'C' on their jersey.

Lowe's Senior CLASSAward - Senior defenseman Chad Billins (Marysville) of the Ferris State University men's ice hockey team has been chosen as a candidate for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in a recent announcement. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community, and competition. The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in early February and those 10 individuals will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select the finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.

Hobey Baker: Senior goalie Taylor Nelson and senior defender Chad BIllins are both currently on a list of 77 college hockey players who are up for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award. Go to www.hobeybakeraward.com and vote for you Bulldogs to make it to the next phase!

All-Star Alumni- The 2012 American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star Classic will have representation from Ferris State University as former Bulldog men's ice hockey player Zach Redmond (Traverse City) has been chosen to play in the midseason contest. Redmond, who played with the Bulldogs from 2007-11, currently skates with the St. John's IceCaps and is among a group of 24 players representing the AHL Eastern Conference All-Star Team.

CCHA Preseason Polls: Ferris State was picked to finish ninth in the 2011-12 CCHA Coaches Preseason Poll with 50 points. The Bulldogs received 425 points in the media poll to place tied for seventh among the 11 conference teams. Points were awarded on a 12-11-10-9, etc., basis. League coaches ranked the CCHA teams, excluding their own school, in the order they predicted the regular season will end.

TV Exposure: Ferris State will be making a combined three national and regional appearances on television this season. The Bulldogs made their TV debut on Comcast Television, which showcased FSU at Michigan (10/27). The network will also feature FSU's home matchup against Notre Dame at the Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids (2/11). FS Detroit (FSD) will feature the Ferris State at Western Michigan game (2/24). Ferris Television plans to televise all remaining home contests this season.

On The Internet: Ferris State University Athletics' official web site can be found at www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com. The site features information on all of FSU's varsity athletics programs including rosters, statistics, yearbooks and more.